Kathy Harris' life changed on Oct. 11, the day she was hit by a van as she was crossing the street. Harris was returning to work at 1 p.m. at Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen, where she works as a registered nurse, when she was hit by a van on South State Street in front of the hospital. “People that witnessed it said I was two steps from the curb when he hit me,” she said. The driver stopped after the incident to help. Officials estimate the van was traveling about 25-30 mph when it hit Harris, she said. The city has since installed stop signs at the intersection. “They said the skid marks didn't start until after I was hit,” she said. Witness reports say Harris was lifted from the ground, and her shoes flew off before she struck the van's windshield and landed on the asphalt, she said. Harris had multiple pelvic fractures, broken ribs, a broken hip cuff and lung problems. After the accident, she spent eight days at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minn., about a month at Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen, and now lives at Primrose Place, an assisted living facility, while she recovers. Last week, Harris walked into her own house for the first time since the accident. “I stood in my back door and bawled,” she said. Harris can't live at home because she can't walk up and down stairs, she said. She is transitioning to a walker after being in a wheelchair for almost three months. She goes to physical therapy three times a week to strengthen her leg. “The accident changed my life and uprooted everything,” she said. Foster parenting on hold: Along with not being able to live in her home, Harris can't walk, drive, do her regular duties at work or provide a home for foster kids - something she's done for about 15 years. “The days get pretty long when you're doing nothing and you're used to working and a house full of kids,” she said. At work, all she's able to do is fill out paperwork. The intersection at South State Street and Fourth Avenue Southeast has always been dangerous, Harris said. “I've heard I wasn't the first to be hit, but I was the first to be seriously injured,” she said. Looking ahead: Her goal is to be back in her house by Feb. 1. Through therapy and home exercises, Harris is recovering and slowly gaining strength back in her leg. All things considered, Harris thinks she's lucky. “The most important things are family and friends, and I still have them,” she said. One of the hardest things for Harris is not being able to get down on the floor to play with her grandchildren, she said. “The little guys are going to miss the wheelchair, though,” she said. “We can whip around pretty good on this floor.”